Traction-coupling.



M. WESTRA.

TRACTION COUPLING.

APPLIIIOATIOH FILED JULY 22, 1903.

Patented Dec. 7, 1909.

o a o 9 .0 H Lu- W Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented'Dec. 7,1909.

Application me m a, 1900; Serial 80. 444,850.

'Toallwhomitmayconcemr Be it known that I, Mum Wnsm, citi-.

zen of the United States, residing at Orange City, in the county of Sioux and State of Iowa, have invented certain'new and useful Im rovements in Traction-Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention contemplates the construc tion of a con ler for connecting tractionengines with w eeled farming machinery- The objects of this invention are to provide an improved construction of tractioncoupler, a traction coupler which all of the advanta es required of a evice of this character an one which is strong, durable and simple in construction and which at thegsame time embodies the improved formation. I

With these and other objects in view, this invention comprises certain combinations, constructions and. arrangements of parts shown in-the 'accom anylng drawings and described in the speclfication and claim.

7 For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which: 4

Figure 1 is a perspective view 'of my-improved coupler connecting a traction engine and a separator tongue, Fig. 2 isa side elevation thereof, Fig; 3.is an enlarged side .view partly in sect on,- and, Fig.4 is a top view partly in section.

Corresponding-and like parts are referred to in the followin descriptionv and indicated in all the views 0 the drawings by the same reference characters.

In the drawings numeral 1 designates a vehicle tongue, which isprovided with a head piece 2. The head piece 2 is formedof metal, with a spear shaped end portion 3,

p and is secured to the tongue 1 in any suitmally holds the The shaft 9 carries a guide member 14,v

able manner, the tongue itself being held-in position by the braces 5. p

Numeral 6; designates a securing plate formed with a housing 7, and rovided with an end plate 8. A'shaft 9, f rmed'. with a narrowed portion 10, is slidably secured in the housing 7 by means of the plate 8. The

narrowed shaft portion 10 carries a spring 11- which is secured thereon by means of'a washer 12 and a in 13-: The-s ring nors aft 9 in the ousmg 7.

which is formed substantially funnel-shaped throughout. The guide member 14 is engine.

formed with side openings 15 and interior abutting portion 16. The guide member 14 carries a plurality of coupler members 17 and 18, formed preferably U-shaped, which eiitend' through the open1ngs 15 from their pivots wand 20. Member 17 engages a stop pin 21 which extends throughone of the 'walls; of ide member 14; member 18 is formed with a projecting bent end portion 22 which extends upwardly through the de 14.from the pivotal'point' of the memr 18 to form an arm by which the'member 18 is operated, and is normally held against the stop pin 21 by a'spring 23 which is connected at one of its ends to the arm 22, and

at the other end to the guide member 14.

Member-17 is connected to member 18 by a spring 24.

The tongue 1 carryin theihead'piece 2 may be secured to any w eeled' agricultural machine such as .a separator, harvester, reaper -or other machine, and the securing plate 6 ma be connected to any traction en it is desired to connect a tractlon engine, provided with the coupler members 17 and 18 pivotally secured on the gulde'member 14, to a separator or other machine, provided with the tongue 1 and the head piece 2, all thatisfinecessary to do, is to insert the head piece-,2between the walls of guide member 14 SQihhtlt the spear point 3 comes into engagement with the coupler members 17 and 18, thus ljircing member 18 upward and member 17 downward, until the spear point is passed, when the members 17 and 18 will slide onto the body portion of head piece 2. I

To release or disconnect the traction engine from the separator, the coupler member 18 is raised through the medium of the projection 22 when the spear head 3-is held in position by the member 17. The tension between the traction engine and the separator causes an upward stram upon the spear head 3 and causes the springing of the same from enga ement with the member 17 which will there y release the spear head 3 from the coupling. The member 7 18 is swung upwardl which will cause the loop or crossbar of the same to advance outwardly from the shoulder of the spear head 3, the member 18 bein enga'gled against the upper wall of the gui e 14 ereby permittin passage of the spear head 3 out of t e guide 14. the process of disconnection, the member '18 is raised against the tension of of the the spring 23 by the arm 22 to the upper wall of the. guide 14; during this process the lower member 17, now supporting the whole weight of the arrow head, 1s not maintained in parallelism with the upper member 18 because of the weakness of the spring 24; and the pull of the member 17 upon the ton ue is exerted at a point beneath the me ial line resulting in an upward swinging of the arrow head out of enga ement with the member 17. The member 1 is arrested in its upward movement by the stops 21 which retain the same out of parallelism with the line of draft and permit of the passage of the arrow head 3 outwardly between the member 17 and the wall of the guide 14.

The spring 11 tends to absorb the strain of a load 011 the tongue 1 when a traction engine is moving a machine from a stationary position. It will be seen that the head piece 2 may be moved horizontally when connected to'members 17 and 18, thus enabling a machine pulled by a traction engine to properly adjust itself to curves.

What I claim and desire to secujreby, Let ters Patent is:

In a coupling as s eeified the combination of a guide, U-shape lockin members pivotally mounted in said i e, a spring engaged by the said 100 ing members for normally contracting the same, a spear head adapted for engagement'between said locklng members, an arm projected outwardly of said gulde from the upper-of said locking members at the pivotal end of the same and adapted to raise said upper locking member fromsaid spear head, and stops inwardly extended from said gulde between said looking members for engagement with the lower of said lockin members when the same'is line of raft'to admit of the said spear head therefrom.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

. MIKE WESTRA, [L. s Witnesses:

W. F. REEOKHOFF,

J. F. DE YOUNG.

drawn u war y by said spring out of the springing of 

